July 30, 2013

Clinton, Weiner, Huma and Hillary?

If the story is to be believed, then surely there is no doubt that Hillary Clinton will be running for president in 2016. Why else would the Clintons be livid over the Anthony Weiner scandal?

Bill and Hillary Clinton are angry with efforts by mayoral hopeful Anthony Weiner and his campaign to compare his Internet sexcapades — and his wife Huma Abedin’s incredible forgiveness — to the Clintons’ notorious White House saga, The Post has learned.

“The Clintons are upset with the comparisons that the Weiners seem to be encouraging — that Huma is ‘standing by her man’ the way Hillary did with Bill, which is not what she in fact did,’’ said a top state Democrat.

Actually, it is what she did. Nonetheless, why all the acrimony about the comparison? Is it the association, or the comparison or the reminder of Bill Clinton's escapades? Yes, Weiner is an unsavory character and the association is one I would not one to be saddled with, so cutting Weiner loose is a good idea. But the story says the Clintons are 'livid'. The comparison of the two situations Weiner and Bill Clinton's escapades is already being downplayed by a top state Democrat and will likely be downplayed by everyone who asks, in fact, even Republicans seem to be not on top of it;

With all the explosive ammunition Republicans have to fire at Weiner and a handful of other disgraced Democrats, GOP activists expected Senate co-leader Dean Skelos and Assembly Minority Leader Brian Kolb to unload at least a few critical comments.

Instead, there’s been total silence from the state’s two top elected Republicans — in yet another example of the collapse of the state’s two-party system.

So the only fathomable reason is that it will remind people of the Clintons' past and that is something it seems Hillary doesn't want. That is surprising since her supporters seem poised to offer up a biopic of her in 2016 that starts in the middle of the Lewinsky affair.

But Hillary's intentions are clear, she doesn't want to be tarnished by Weiner;

Worried about the potential impact on Hillary’s likely run for president in 2016, the political power couple has begun aggressively distancing itself from the crippled mayoral contender, according to sources.

Meanwhile, at least one prominent Hillary Rodham Clinton political operative was described as close to “going public’’ with a sharp criticism of Weiner — in order to send the message that the Clintons, fearing longtime damage to Hillary, want him out of the mayor’s race.

Which brings us back to her association with Weiner. It turns out the Clintons' associations with various people can be a danger to them politically, or at least they feel that way. I guess the ghost of Marc Rich is still haunting them.